


You Found Me

by lais



Series: 2PARK/JINHWI [1]
Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Deephwi, M/M, Manga, Orange, highschool, jinhwi, kpop, w1, wannaone - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-06 02:26:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14632161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lais/pseuds/lais
Summary: Lee Daehwi was a non-believer in the utter impossible until he started receiving letters by his future self.He was warned that he must erase the mistakes that he, Youngmin, Somi, Woojin, and Donghyun made in the past. Following the letters, he discovers that he was bound to meet the new boy, Bae Jinyoung.It was Daehwi's job to save him.(prequel to "As If It's Your Last," and explains how Baejin and Daehwi met eachother.)





	1. The First Day

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Orange](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/380973) by Ichigo Takano. 



> SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT AND MESSY PLEASE BEAR WITH IT

**(July 30, 2025)**

“Look,” a voice shakily said, “I have no clue if this is going to work, but we’ve got to try. We have to.”

Five shadows loomed over the pond, speaking in hushed whispers.

“Daehwi, there’s no way this is possible,” a girl’s voice argued, “It doesn’t make any sense. This would literally defy any logic regarding science.”

“Somi, we have to give it a shot,” a deeper voice urged, “What if we can really redo all of the stuff that’s happened to us? What if we can prevent it from happening?”

“Woojin’s right,” a boy’s voice chorused, “What if we can change the past?”

“Here,” another voice said, “Give Daehwi your letters. We have to at least give it a try. If this really can change what happened six years ago, I’m taking my chances.”

“Did everyone write one?”

They all handed their letters in, and the supposed “Daehwi” chucked their letters into the pond. The five of them watched as a dim light appeared, and the paper sunk into the water.

“We have to change the past,” he whispered, “we have to.”

\---

**(August 13, 2019)**

Lee Daehwi never believed in bullshit.

When he was little, he didn’t believe in the tooth fairy and would hand his parents back the dollar bill they left underneath his pillows. On Easter, he knew far too well that the Easter Bunny didn’t exist, and his parents hired someone to play their  part. In first grade, he didn’t believe in Tinkerbell, and threw all the girls in his class into a frenzy when they claimed he had just killed a fairy.

Daehwi liked to think that he thought logically. If he never saw it with his own eyes, it wasn’t real.

Until the letters came.

At first they came one envelope at a time. He would throw them into his closet and forget about them until he fished out ten more from his mailbox.

Daehwi assumed they were all interest letters from colleges he had no interest in attending, newspapers that he didn’t feel like reading, or letters from his ever-so persistent and overbearing grandma. By the end of the third week, he had a large pile pooling that couldn’t even fit his closet, and

He had no time to open all of them, so the pile eventually grew too big to continue to sit in his room, and his mom insisted that he should “hurry up or she would shave all of his hair off.”

But there was no way that it was normal to receive this many things in the mail. Someone had to be behind it, and Daehwi was fully confident that it was his friend Park Woojin.

Woojin and Daehwi have been friends since the womb. Woojin was his kryptonite, quick to believe any fad or belief on the internet. (Daehwi once had to convince Woojin that the world wasn’t ending in 2010) He was boisterous, loud, and Daehwi grudgingly admitted that he’s probably his most loyal friend. And if anyone was trying to prank Daehwi, it would be him.

Dialing Woojin, he demanded an answer from the snaggletoothed boy.

“Woojin, really? This is probably the lamest prank you’ve pulled,” Daehwi said, rolling his eyes, “Even the raw egg in my shoe was better. Did you think I’d actually believe this?”

“What’re you talking about?” Woojin replied incredulously.

“Are you saying you haven’t been sending me these stupid letters?”

“Letters? I was planning to actually pour water on you tomorrow. I swear it wasn’t me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Daehwi hung up the phone, racking his brain for the person who could’ve tried to fool him. Youngmin was too nice to do this sort of thing, Donghyun couldn’t spell for his life, and Somi’s handwriting was too girly to be the sender. If he opened the letters, maybe it could give him a clue on the prankster.

He held up the first envelope.

And restated: Lee Daehwi never believed in bullshit, which is why he was in denial when the sender claimed to be his future self.

_“July 1st, 2025_

_Hello, Daehwi._

_It’s you, but six years later._

_Yeah, you can reread that: it’s you from the future. And we both know how you don’t believe in the paranoia, the supernatural, or even childhood fantasies, but I promise you I’m the real deal._

_To prove it to you, I can state a fact that nobody knows but you._

_You wet your bed until you were nine. You didn’t tell anyone because you were scared of being made fun of._

_Done thinking it’s a prank?_

_As you know, tomorrow will mark the first day of your senior year in high school. I know how long you’ve finally waited for this, and I know of all the crazy things you plan to accomplish with it. I happen to look back on my senior year with fondness._

_Besides one thing._

_Tomorrow, a new kid will transfer into your class by the name of Bae Jinyoung. He’ll soon become friends with you, Somi, Youngmin, Woojin, and Donghyun._

_And as your future self, I need you to save him. We live with the worst regrets because of our carelessness. For the sake of both of us, and your friends, you have to believe me._

_I’m going to send more letters as time goes on. If you don’t want to believe me, go ahead and put them down your shredder. But, if you truly want to be happy in the future and want to fix the past, keep on reading._

_Senior year was the huge turning point in my life, and Bae Jinyoung was a huge part of my life, too. You’ll find out soon enough. If you don’t believe me, just wait until tomorrow._

 

  * __Lee Daehwi”__



 

Daehwi stared at the letter in disbelief.

Hell, the closer he looked at the letter, the more it looked like his handwriting. But, it’s literally impossible for a letter from the future to get sent back in time. It was controversial to anything Daehwi had ever believed, and it left the hairs on his neck standing straight. The sender’s mannerisms, their handwriting, and the fact they knew Daehwi was a bedwetter; it was a perfect match with himself.

Maybe it wasn’t bullshit after all.

\---

**(August 14, 2019)**

Lee Daehwi woke up to the sound of birds chirping, the sun shining, and all that was good in the world. Usually, he didn’t notice this, and would choose to throw his alarm clock out the window, but today was finally his last first day of high school.

“Hey, man!” whooped Youngmin, who crashed into the seat right next to Daehwi, “Senior year is finally here!”

Im Youngmin was also friends with Daehwi and Woojin. Donned with curly red hair and an impish grin, he was a classic heartbreaker at their school, and the girls already swooning as soon as he walked in.

The boy flashed them a grin to which they all shrieked to.

“Youngmin, get your fangirls to shut up, they’re already annoying me.”

“Jesus, Somi,” Youngmin teased, “You wish you could get all of this, huh?”

“Never in a million years!”

Somi was an aloof girl with a pretty face that any girl would die to have. Born with looks, charms, and every attractive trait to ever exist, the only downside was her snarky personality. Daehwi and the boys didn’t mind, and fully accepted her into their circle in middle school.

“Are you guys already arguing?” Donghyun laughed, throwing a bag of chips at Woojin, “Some things really never change.”

“One thing is,” Somi pointed at the front of the room, “Look.”

The teacher rapped his meter stick on the whiteboard to gain the class’s attention.

“Alright guys,” the teacher said, “We have a new student with us today. Baejin, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

The small-faced boy shyly cleared his throat before speaking.

“Hi, everyone, I’m Bae Jinyoung. It’s nice to meet you all.”

He had a small smile as he waved, his dark brown eyes scanning the classroom and the students’ welcoming faces. His jet black hair was fringed down, and he somehow made the terribly designed school uniform look amazing.

Needless to say, you didn’t have to be Einstein to know that this kid was a goddamn visual.

The girls in the class “oohed,” and Somi smirked at Youngmin, who noticed he’d finally have some competition. The teacher let Baejin sit wherever he wanted, and he chose the seat directly to Daehwi’s left.

“I’m Bae Jinyoung,” the new boy introduced once again while extending his hand, “I hope we get along.”

“Likewise.”

Daehwi slumped back in his chair, pulling out the wrinkled letter that he kept throwing as a paper ball last night. Rereading the sentences, his stomach dropped.

He had to save Baejin, the new boy in his class.

But what did he need saving from?

\---

**(July 30, 2025)**

"Do you guys remember when Baejin first moved here into our senior class?" said Somi, thinking aloud, "I never would've thought that Youngmin would've had some competition."

"What can I say?" Youngmin shrugged, "He was good looking. What did you think, Daehwi? You two were the closest."

Daehwi sat down next to the two of them, sighing as he stared at the pond.

"If anything, Baejin was beautiful."

"Was it love at first sight?" 

"We'll never know."

Woojin whistled, and Daehwi shrugged. 

"It's not like he's still here."


	2. Painting Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daehwi learns that Baejin's a pretty good painter.

**July 15, 2025**

It was a cool Sunday afternoon, and Daehwi was outside sprawled underneath a tree. He had brought his trusty easel and watercolor paints out of his basement, mixing different hues and color to his liking. Brushing off the dust on the plastic caps and lifting the white sheet off the wood on his easel, Daehwi felt a pang of nostalgia hit him.  

“Hey there,” Woojin said, throwing Daehwi a soda, “What’re you looking at?”

Daehwi paid no attention to him besides a quick ‘hey’, and offered his friend a watermelon slice. Woojin thanked him, peered over Daehwi’s shoulder, and eyed all of his art materials. 

“You’re painting again.”

“Yeah.”

“You haven’t painted since..you know..” his voice trailed off, and scratched the back of his neck.

Daehwi grabbed another tube of blue paint and dipped his paintbrush into it.

“I know.”

Cracking a bitter smile, Woojin squatted down and sat next to him, and grabbed a paintbrush for himself.

“I’ll paint too.”

**September 20, 2019**

“I fucking hate art class,” Woojin groaned, sliding into his seat at lunch, “I mean, who does that stupid Mr. Jaehwan think he is? My oil painting was pretty damn good, and the man gave me a failing grade.”

“Language, Woojin,” Somi chided, “He could probably hear you from somewhere.”

“Yeah. With his big ears, he probably could.”

Daehwi absentmindedly started opening his bottled water and swatted Woojin’s hands away from his food. Youngmin and Donghyun were cram-studying for a quiz in their next class (like the good students they were, because everyone else had given up already), and Somi was complaining again over some boy.

“...And he’s just giving me SO many mixed signals! It’s honestly driving me nuts!”

“Nobody cares, Somi,” Woojin said, his mouth full of food.

“Says you! You’ve never been in a relationship!”

The two of them began to butt heads as Youngmin shoved his book in between them, creating a border.

“Both of you be quiet. I can’t memorize the vocab list with all of your bickering.”

Daehwi shifted his focus to scan around the cafeteria. For the last four years, people have sat in the exact same tables, with the same friends, eating the same food. Nobody had changed, and there were no noticeable differences. 

Besides one.

Daehwi caught himself staring at the new kid again. Him and Bae Jinyoung were seatmates, but they rarely talked besides the occasional whisper when asking what page the teacher was reading off of. Ever since he came, as Somi predicted, he was a huge girl magnet, but even he was sitting alone at lunch.

Daehwi watched as Baejin sat by himself at the table, first hopefully seeing if there was anyone who’d like to join him, but slowly looked down and started eating. 

He knows how it feels like to eat alone; he used to be like that too.  If Daehwi wasn’t so cowardly, he’d probably approach Jinyoung and sit with him, but Daehwi wasn’t like that. 

“What’re you looking at?” Donghyun interrupted, waving his hands in front of him. Daehwi shook out of his daze, and turned back to his friends. 

“Ooh, you were looking at Jinyoung, huh?” Somi mused, poking Daehwi’s side, “Looks like someone finally has a crush.”

“I do not!”

“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Woojin laughed.

The bell rang to signal that lunch was finally over. They parted ways, heading through different cafeteria exits. Daehwi stood up with his tray, threw his food away, and ran to catch up with Jinyoung who was slowly walking through the door.

“Hey, Jinyoung, wait up!”

The boy turned around, adamantly surprised to see Daehwi’s cheery face in front of him.

“Hey, Daehwi, did you need something?”

“I think we have the next period together,” Daehwi started, “Wanna walk with me?”

Their art teacher, Mr. Jaehwan, leaned more on the “eccentric” type. Instead of the average classroom with seats, he forced all of the kids to sit on bean bags while they paint. 

Daehwi was no Leonardo da Vinci or Monet, but he liked to think that he could paint somewhat well. He sighed and stared at his blank canvas, completely unsure of what to draw. 

Daehwi also happened to sit next to Jinyoung. When he looked over his shoulder to see what he was painting, Daehwi’s jaws dropped. He was a pro.

His eyes stayed concentrated and focused as he started mixing different shades of orange and yellow, creating a golden sunset. Daehwi could’ve sworn that it was photographed; every detail so refined and the paint perfectly blended together. 

“The quietest kids always have the loudest minds, huh?” the teacher chuckled. Flustered, Jinyoung hung his head low to hide the blush that was slowly creeping up his ears. His ears got even more red when he realized that Daehwi was also staring at him. 

“I-I used to paint a lot with my grandpa.”

“You’re really good, Jinyoung,” Daehwi whispered, “You’re seriously an artist.”

“Baejin.”

Daehwi blinked. 

“What?”

“Y-you can call me Baejin. It’s the nickname that my friends gave me back in my old school.”

Daehwi smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update, I wrote this in a huge rush!
> 
> Please let me know what you think. :)
> 
> Feel free to talk to me on my stan twitter @wannasuns. Let's be friends!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the sort-of prequel to my other work called "As If It's Your Last," and it explains how Daehwi and Baejin met before college! I've been planning to write this for a while, and I've always loved the anime/manga "Orange." If you haven't heard of it, I highly recommend it. One of my favorite mutuals, Kat, has been waiting for this for a while, so Kat, this one's for you! 
> 
> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/canopenerceo)! let's be friends!


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